Smart companies look for easy, inexpensive ways to boost morale, productivity or profitability. They often find those simple ideas by listening to employee suggestions. We surveyed our Top 100 and asked them about unusual employee ideas that made a difference to their organizations.

Alford Media

Services

Employees maintain a company garden on its 14-acre grounds, and the vegetables are used at company lunches, taken home to share with families and given to families in need. One employee added a beehive, and the honey will be sold, with proceeds going to a local charity.

Accenture

Employees recognize the hard work and dedication of colleagues through a program that hands out reward points that can be redeemed to buy goods and services, including Cowboys, Mavericks, Rangers and Stars tickets.

Park Place

Dealerships

Each dealership holds a Daily Tune-Up, a 10- to 15-minute meeting in which everyone gets up to speed on things that are working great and things that need to be refined. It also provides a quick overview of goals and recognizes performance, priorities for the day, birthdays and employee anniversaries.

AmerisourceBergen Specialty Group

An employee spirit committee at its Frisco office has its own budget and is given a free hand to implement programs for philanthropy, wellness and recognition.

Lane Gorman

Trubitt

The tax service company stages stress-buster events such as chili cook-offs, Oreo-stacking contests, a Cinco de Mayo salsa contest (food, not dance) and an ice cream cart.

SettlePou

Employees get free tickets and paid time off to attend the State Fair of Texas when their children have fair day.

Children’s Medical Center of Dallas

It hired Zimride, a social networking site that helps match people looking for carpools or rides, to create a dedicated site just for Children’s employees.

Tolleson Wealth

Management

NETMA (“No One Ever Tells Me Anything”) meetings allow employees to offer ideas and get concerns off their chests.

Scheef & Stone

One attorney suggested “Forks Up,” in which employees dine at restaurants near its offices for lunch and get $35 when they write a review.

Benchmark Bank

Every Friday, the bank provides lunch, and a different employee picks the restaurant. “It has become a fun perk for our employees,” CEO Mike Barnett says.

Encompass Home Health

In the last five years, the company has helped more than 162 employees and affiliates deliver care in medically underserved parts of China, India, Africa and South America.

PrimeLending

National Relaxation Day is an official company event, celebrated this year with a Hawaiian theme. Employees were treated to chair massages and smoothies.

iProspect

Employee ideas include a fantasy football draft day, an around-the-clock Olympics watching party, annual costume and golf outings, the flexibility to bring your dog to work, countless happy hours, volunteer projects, a fridge stocked with fresh produce and a kitchen that has endless coffee and snacks.

Southwest Media Group

Its annual Digital Summit Innovation and Technology Conference, started as an employee idea to help educate clients about the digital landscape, has grown into a two-day conference at the House of Blues with dozens of exhibitors, speakers and hands-on demonstration rooms.

Shelton School and Evaluation Center

Shelton School and Evaluation Center holds a garage sale where employees bring their unwanted “treasures” from home. One employee runs the half-day sale so the other employees can go on with their work. The remaining loot is taken to a Goodwill truck, conveniently located across the street.

Beck Group

The design company takes its chili cook-off seriously. Five secretly chosen judges are sequestered for a blind tasting, and the winners get to display their trophies at their workstations for a year. The event costs less than $250.

Excentus

The company holds competitions between departments — pingpong and billiards tournaments, rock band competitions, barbecue cook-offs and themed dress-up Fridays.

Communities

Foundation of Texas

Dallas catering company Mobile Gourmet comes to its offices every Thursday at lunchtime with meals for purchase. Some employees buy enough to take home for dinner.

TPN

Rookie Camp, an off-site, two-day orientation, gives new hires a deep dive into the agency. It lets new hires “in on the joke” as they hear company tales, secrets, traditions and insights.

Community Trust Bank

The bank has a certified dream manager on staff who helps employees pursue their dreams.

Montgomery

Coscia Greilich LLP

Recently hired employees develop and conduct the CPA firm’s orientation program for new employees.

CBRE

Every day, CBRE sells freshly baked cookies in the office for 50 cents each. Last year, the staff wanted to give the money to charity — half to Camp John Marc and half to the North Texas Food Bank.

Improving

Enterprises Inc.

Each month, the company conducts an employee, employee/spouse or employee family activity that is chosen, organized and hosted by a staffer who doesn’t typically make big decisions at work. “The creative ideas are incredible and play a significant role in employee morale — comedy nights, art lessons, family days at water parks and even employee talent shows,” CEO Curtis Hite says.

Strasburger

& Price

The law firm participated in an epic relay in Oregon called Hood to Coast — a 12-person, 197-mile endurance event. Its three teams in this year’s event included employees, partners, alumni, significant others and clients. “We are confident that the bonds formed amongst them will serve the firm in the future through lower turnover, better communication internally and stronger relationships with clients,” executive director Jessica Hoffmann says.

The Marketing Arm

Every Wednesday afternoon, the marketing agency fires up an old-fashioned popcorn-popping machine. The aroma is an instant social grabber as everyone gathers for a late afternoon snack.

RYAN

The company divided its staff into about 70 teams and gives each member a $20 monthly allowance to be used for meals, outings or other events. And Ryan teamed up with Habitat for Humanity, UNT Dallas and Dream Dallas this summer to build a house in South Dallas that will be run by UNT Dallas students. Ryan volunteers braved the heat every Saturday for two months, and the initiative was funded by a personal contribution of $1 million by CEO Brint Ryan.

Encompass Home Health Inc.

In the last five years, the company has helped more than 162 employees and affiliates deliver care in medically underserved parts of China, India, Africa and South America. The company has worked on more than 140 community assistance projects.

Sheraton Dallas

Hotel

Its Associate Engagement Committee plans employee social events such as Zumba classes, bake sales to benefit its associate relief fund and family movie nights — as well as 13 community outreach programs.

Puritan Financial Cos.

Its corporate chaplain helps employees meet their spiritual needs at work, and the chaplain’s department helps them find opportunities to do good — feeding the homeless, donating blood and taking mission trips around the world.